Escaped Race Car—Approach with Caution: It was developed for the track, and that's where it belongs.

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For such a track-oriented beast, the RS offers some delightfully sybaritic touches. The Alcantara bucket seats are firm and supportive, with long cushions that are much appreciated by those of us with lengthy inseam measurements. Alcantara covers the shift knob, the steering wheel, and the headliner, as well. Air conditioning is included in the price, as is a six-speaker stereo system. Both help ease the car into a commuting role.

Best of all, though, is the versatile nature of Porsche Active Suspension Management, which keeps the really stiff settings for when they're most needed and supplies a less firm ride for mundane motoring. There's a sport button to select the high-performance setting, and it also switches the car's computer to a special schedule, providing an extra 11 pound-feet of torque between 3000 and 4250 rpm and a claimed midrange power boost of almost 14 horsepower.

The final proof of this car's intent is that Porsche's usual electronic stability-control gremlins are present only in the traction-control system, which has a couple of extra tricks to maintain grip even when the car is decelerating. But there's no nanny to step in and cut the power or apply the brakes. You're on your own in the GT3 RS, and that's the way it should be.